Ash conveyer



Dec. 26, 1922.

L. A. GRIFFIN.

ASH CONVEYER.

V ORIGINAL nuso JUNE 10. 1921.

- Patented Dec. 26,1922, v

LORNE A. GRIFFIN, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOISQASSIGNOR' TO CONVEYOBS CORPORATION OF AMERICA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF YORK.

ASH CONVEYER.

' 1 i Application filed June 10, 1921, Serial No. 476,442. Renewed November 22, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LORNE A. GRIFFIN,

' a citizen'of the United States and resident of Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain newand useful Improvement in Ash Conveyers, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a art of this specificatlon.

y invention relates to ash conveyers, and, briefly stated, the principal objects of my invention are as follows:

1. The provision of an ash conveyer which, in part, consists in the combination and rearrangement of parts heretofore used in two distinctly different types of ash'conveyer, the new arrangement possessing all of the advantages of each of said prior types,

possessing additional advantages not 'to be that the travel of the ashes along the longitudinal and vertical portions of the conveyer conduit is produced by suction in the ash tank.

4. The provision of an ash' conveyer wherein theinevitable abrasion of the con veyer conduit by the ashes is reduced to a minimum.

5. The provision of an wherein I avoid noise at the hoppers, an objection inherent in certain types of ash conveyers.

6. The provision of an ash conveyer wherein dust-laden steam and air is forcibly discharged from the ash tank, and is thoroughly cleaned before being permltted to escape to the atmosphere.

In the accompanying drawing,illustrating my invention, as land 2 I have illustrated the horizontal portions of the conveyer conduit, and at 3 theriser which'conash conveyer nects said horizontal portions and. affords communication between them. The horizontal portion 1 of the conduit is provided with a plurality of hoppers 4-4, each of which is located in front of a fire box door, diagrammatically indicated at 55. Each hopper, when not in use, is closed by the usual cover or hopper plug (not shown). The riser is connected with the horizontal portions of the conveyer conduit by right an le elbows 6 and 7.

he upper horizontal portion of the con-- .veyer conduit discharges into the ash tank 8,

which, if desired, may be provided with the customary battle 9. Tank 8 is conveniently supported above the track 10 by the framework 11. The tank here shown is of the Connected with the upper end of the tank ,is an aspirator 14, herein shown as comprising the T fittingv 14, the venturi, or choke tube 14, and the steam nozzle 14. The venturi, or choke tube, discharges into the separator 15, which isv supported adjacent the ash tank in any convenient manner, as, for instance, by the supporting framework 16. The separator consists of a suitable chamber wherein are disposed'a plurality of baflies 17 18, and 19, which cause the steam and air discharged into the separator by the aspirator to take a winding path, as indicated, by the arrows. Disposed within the. separator are a plurality of spray pipes 20.20, which serve to wash the entrained ash dust from the steam and air as the same passes through the separator. It will be noted that the spray pipes are preferably so located that the steam and air passing through the separator is caused to pass through a curtain of water spray at a plurality of points in the path of travel thereof, through the separator. .Pipes 2121 serve to drain the water and ash dust from the separator. It will be understood that the separator not only serves to clean the air and steam discharged from the tank by the aspirator, but it also serves as a mufiler to silence the operation of the aspirator.

Projecting into each. of the right angle elbows 6. and 7 is a steam nozzle 22, each of these nozzles. discharging in the line of travel of the ashes through the conveyer conduit. A valve 23 controls the supply of steam from the steam supply pipe 24 to the nozzles 22, and also controls the supplyl 8f hausted by a fan, or other equivalent means. However, all of the systems of the general type heretofore proposed have been subject to certain serious objections. One of the principal objections to this type of system has been the fact that it has been impossible to make sharp turns in the conveyer conduit. For this reason, it has heretofore not been feasible to use this type of system in many installations. My present invention overcomes this serious objection to the type of system wherein travel of the ashes through the conveyer is caused by suction created in the ashtank. The elbow nozzles 2222 serve effectively to assist the conveyed ashes around the sharp turns at the right angle elbows. however, are of such capacity that while they do assist the conveyed ashes around the elbows they do not impart any consider able degree of momentum to the conveyed ashes, as the same pass the elbows. By reason of this arrangement, abrasion of the conduit at points just beyond the elbows in the line of travel is minimized.

Another serious objection to the type of ash conveyer wherein a partial vacuum is maintained in the ash tank, has been the fact that air leaking into the tank, particularly through the discharge gate, has affected the hot cinders inthe tank, as does the air in a forge. The combustion of cinders, etc., in the ash tank due to a forced These nozzles 22-22 within the tank, a separator jacent to the tank and a steam aspirator draft therethrough is apt to result very nated in the system of my invention, for

the reason that the elbow nozzles 2222 serve to saturate the conveyed ashes with steam, and thus thoroughly extinguish any fires in the ashes and cinders before the latter are deposited in the ash tank.

The fact that the elbow nozzles 2222 of the present system need only be of capacity such that they will moisten the ashes, and amist the same around the elbows, enables me greatly to reduce the noise at the hoppers, which, in a steam jet ash conveyer system, is always present, due to the operation of the steam nozzles.

Inorder properly to perform their functions in my present system, the nozzles 22- 22 may be of a capacity such that they cause no considerable noise at the hopper.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An ash conveyer comprising a closed ash tank, an aspirator connected with the tank and arranged when operated to cause a partial vacuum therein, an ash conveyer conduit terminating in the tank, said conduit comprising portions at right angles connected by elbows, steam nozzles at the elbows arranged to discharge suflicient steam into the conduit at the elbows to assist the conveyed ashes around the elbows, and means for applying steam to saidnozzles and said aspirator.

2. In an ash conveyer system a closed ash tank, a conveyer conduit terminating disposed adhaving the suction end thereof connected with the tank and its pressure end discharging into the separator, a partial vacuum created inthe ash tank by the operation of the aspirator servin to cause the conveyed ashes to travel t rough. the conduit tothe ash tank.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 2nd da' ofJune, 1921.

- LO NE A. GRIFFIN.

Witnesses:

W. R. Roo'r, GUY S. IIAMILTON. 

